categorisation
gb/kˈætɡɚɪsˈeɪʃən/ us/kˈætɡɚɪsˈeɪʃən/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
formal
C1
process
1
sorting things into categories
the act of putting things into groups
Usage pattern:
categorisation of [things] (into [categories])
Common mistake:
Often confused with category (a group) rather than categorisation (the process). Also spelled categorization in US English.
Synonyms
classification (Often implies a more systematic or official grouping.)
|
grouping (More general and less formal than categorisation.)
Antonyms
randomization (No meaningful grouping or order is applied.)
Collocations
categorisation of data
|categorisation of items
|categorisation process
|clear categorisation
|simple categorisation
|categorisation criteria
|categorisation system
|categorisation scheme
|initial categorisation
|accurate categorisation
Themes
education
|work
|language
Examples
- The categorisation of expenses helps the finance team spot unusual spending.
- Accurate categorisation of products makes the website easier to search.
- The study focused on the categorisation of emotions across languages.
Learner examples
- We need categorisation to keep the files tidy.
- This app improves the categorisation of photos.
Noun
formal
C1
process
2
labeling people in a simple way
putting someone into a label, often unfairly
Usage pattern:
categorisation of [someone/something] as [label]
Common mistake:
Learners may miss the negative tone in contexts about people (similar to pigeonholing).
Synonyms
labeling (More everyday; can be neutral or negative depending on context.)
|
stereotyping (Specifically involves fixed, often inaccurate beliefs about a group.)
|
pigeonholing (Strongly suggests an unfair or limiting label.)
Antonyms
individualization (Focusing on a person as an individual rather than as a group member.)
Collocations
social categorisation
|racial categorisation
|gender categorisation
|unfair categorisation
|rigid categorisation
|categorisation of people
|categorisation as a stereotype
|harmful categorisation
|automatic categorisation
|categorisation based on appearance
Themes
society
|psychology
|work
Examples
- The policy risks categorisation of applicants based on their postcode rather than their skills.
- She pushed back against the categorisation of her work as 'women’s fiction'.
- Early social categorisation can shape children’s ideas about who belongs.
Learner examples
- I dislike the categorisation of people by looks.
Noun
formal
C1
abstract
3
a system of categories
a way of dividing things into groups
Usage pattern:
[a/an] categorisation of [field/things]
Common mistake:
Sometimes used when learners mean category names rather than the overall scheme or framework.
Synonyms
taxonomy (Often used for hierarchical systems, especially in science or information organization.)
|
classification (Can mean either the process or the system; categorisation often highlights the grouping logic.)
Antonyms
disorder (Lack of an organizing system or structure.)
Collocations
standard categorisation
|official categorisation
|new categorisation
|existing categorisation
|categorisation framework
|categorisation scheme
|a three-level categorisation
|broad categorisation
|detailed categorisation
|categorisation used by [organization]
Themes
education
|science
|business
Examples
- The library adopted a new categorisation to make digital resources easier to find.
- Their categorisation includes three risk levels: low, medium, and high.
- The report questions the government’s categorisation of certain jobs as 'essential'.
Learner examples
- Our school uses a simple categorisation of grades.
Noun
technical
C1
process
4
assigning digital content to labels
putting digital information into groups
Usage pattern:
categorisation of [data/content/messages]
Common mistake:
Often mixed up with tagging; tagging is usually more flexible, while categorisation often uses a fixed set of classes.
Synonyms
labeling (Common in machine learning; focuses on assigning class labels.)
|
classification (Very common in data science; often refers to the same task.)
Antonyms
free-text entry (Information is entered without being assigned to a fixed category.)
Collocations
email categorisation
|content categorisation
|document categorisation
|automated categorisation
|rule-based categorisation
|machine-learning categorisation
|categorisation accuracy
|categorisation model
|categorisation pipeline
|real-time categorisation
Themes
technology
|business
Examples
- Automatic categorisation routes customer emails to the right support team.
- The team improved categorisation by adding more training data.
- Poor categorisation can hide important patterns in the dataset.
Learner examples
- The software does the categorisation automatically.
Grammar
Dictionary form
categorisation
IPA
GB/kˈætɡɚɪsˈeɪʃən/
US/kˈætɡɚɪsˈeɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
cat - egor - isa - tion (4 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (cat)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: categorisation
- Plural: categorisation, categorisations
Word family
Forms
categorisations
noun
Core family
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
uncategorised
adjective
Advanced or less common
categorisable
adjective
miscategorise
verb
miscategorisation
noun
Expressions
automatic categorisation
1/ˌɔtoʊmˈætɪk kˈætɡɚɪsˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
software sorts items automatically
when a computer sorts things into groups
Examples
- Automatic categorisation reduces the time staff spend on routine admin.
- The app’s automatic categorisation learns from past user corrections.
- Automatic categorisation works well for common cases but struggles with unusual items.
categorisation error
1/kˈætɡɚɪsˈeɪʃən ˈɛɹɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
mistake from using wrong category
a mistake because you put something in the wrong group
Examples
- Assuming every quiet person is unfriendly is a classic categorisation error.
- The critique argues that the model makes a categorisation error by treating correlation as causation.
- Calling the whole project a failure based on one delay is a categorisation error.
expense categorisation
1/ɪkspˈɛns kˈætɡɚɪsˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
business
grouping spending by type
putting expenses into groups like travel or food
Examples
- Better expense categorisation makes month-end reporting faster.
- The accountant corrected several items in the expense categorisation.
- The tool offers expense categorisation for tax purposes.
forced categorisation
1/fˈɔɹst kˈætɡɚɪsˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
formal
having to choose a category
when you must pick a group, even if it’s wrong
Examples
- The survey’s forced categorisation left many participants unsure which box to tick.
- Forced categorisation can distort results when identities are complex.
- The form avoids forced categorisation by allowing multiple selections.